Rules of Online Roulette: How to Play Roulette

Roulette is a popular casino table game that is played using a large round wheel and a ball. The object of the game is to predict which of many numbered pockets that a ball will fall into, with various bets covering either individual numbers or groups of numbers. If the winning number is one of the numbers you cover, you win!

Basic Roulette Setup

Whether you're playing roulette at a live casino or at an online gambling site, you'll go through a very similar process when playing roulette. The main difference is that a live roulette game will feature a more rigid structure, while you'll be able to customize the speed of play in online roulette.

The game of roulette is played with a wheel that will have either 37 or 38 numbered pockets. Most of these pockets will be numbered between 1 and 36. The differing number of pockets will tell you whether you are playing European or American roulette: the European roulette wheel contains a single zero, while the American roulette table features both a zero (0) and double zero (00). Any zero pockets are colored green, while the remaining pockets are evenly split between red and black.

If you are playing roulette in a live casino, you'll likely also need to turn your general casino chips into roulette chips. Since there are many players at the roulette table, and keeping track of which bets belong to which player could quickly become confusing, players are typically given chips of a distinct color so that they and the croupiers (or dealers) can keep an accurate recording of which bets belong to which players.

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Placing Roulette Bets

Before each spin, players are given time to place bets on the table, which contains areas for making a variety of different bets. These bets can generally be divided into two types of wagers: inside bets and outside bets. A typical roulette table will have minimum bets for both inside and outside bets. That minimum bet refers to the total of the inside bets (individual bets may be for less), or for each individual outside bet. Players are not required to make both inside and outside bets on each spin.

Here's a quick rundown of the typical bets available on a roulette table, as well as their payouts.

Inside Bets

Inside bets generally cover fewer numbers, but also offer longer odds if you're able to win. The available inside bets are as follows:

Straight Bet: A bet on a single number, made by placing your chips on top of that number on the roulette layout. This bet pays out at 35-1 if that number is the winning number.

Split Bet: A bet on two numbers, made by placing your chips on the line between those two numbers on the table layout. This bet pays out at 17-1 if either number wins.

Street Bet: A bet on a row of three numbers on the table layout, made by placing chips at the end of that "street." If any of the three numbers win, the bet pays 11-1.

Corner Bet: A bet on a square of four numbers, made by placing chips on the intersection of those four numbers on the layout. This bet pays 8-1 if any of those four numbers wins.

Six Line: A bet on two adjacent rows of three numbers each, made by placing your chips at the intersection on the edge of those two rows. If any of the six numbers should win, this bet pays out at 5-1 odds.

Top Line (Only in American Roulette): A bet on the "first five" numbers on the roulette table – 0-00-1-2-3. This bet pays out at 6-1 if any of these numbers wins.

Outside Bets

Outside bets are safer bets that cover large portions of the wheel, but do not offer the big returns of inside bets. Here's a look at the available outside bets:

Dozens Bets: These bets each cover 12 consecutive numbers on the roulette wheel (1-12, 13-24, or 25-36). If any number in that range wins, this bet pays out at 2-1 odds.

Columns Bets: These bets cover one of the three columns of numbers on the roulette table layout. If any of the 12 numbers in the selected column wins, this bet pays out at 2-1 odds.

Red/Black: These bets cover all numbers that are colored appropriately (either red or black). If any number with that color wins, the bet pays out at even money.

Odd/Even: These bets cover all numbers of the appropriate type (odd or even). If any of the numbers of that type win (zeroes always lose), then the bet pays even money.

1-18/19-36: These bets cover all of the numbers in the specified range. If any of these numbers win, then this bet pays out at even money.

Resolving Spins

After all bets have been place (in a live game, the croupier will cut off betting after the ball has made a few rotations around the spinning wheel), the wheel will be spun and the roulette ball will be placed on the outer edge of the wheel. As the ball slows, it will fall into one of the pockets, which will determine the results of the spin.

Once the spin is resolved, a marker is placed over the winning number. All losing bets are swept from the table, after which all winning bets are paid. Once the marker is removed from the table, players can then place new bets for the next spin.